A FEW IMPRESSIONS OF THE WAITANGI MEETING.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 352, 20 March 1889, Page 3

A FEW IMPRESSIONS OF THE WAITANGI MEETING.

By a Yimtok

Hh\KiM: so much about the large meeting: ab Waitangi, I went over yesterday to see fo». uiys2lf. Weleit Ku&&c!l with a strong southerly wind blowing, and landed in the mouth ot the Waitangi lliver in about three quarters of an hour. There was quite a flotilla of boats, some anchored, and others hauled up upon the beach, and among the number were two large Alaoti canoes. Upon landing, the first thing that struck the visitor (and that pretty strongly, too) was the smell of dried shark, 2K tons of which was. stored in a house near by. Uoing on and towards Treaty Hall one sees a large ilaif staff with the red ensign hoisted, on the ily of which are some Maoii words. Passing the hall jou come to a large flat at the foot of the hill, enclosed by wire fencing, inside of which are tents of all sizes and qualities, giving one the idea of an en largcd gipsies' encampment. In the centre of the green is erected a marquee about 90 feet long, with two vows ot tables and forms on each side, and arranged on these are the borrowed civets, knives, forks, etc. Ab each end, and in centre of each table, is a tso-feboreyed cake, iced with different coloured icings, and the hungiy visitor could get from the coloured waiters or waitress (who are dressed alike, and have white apions with red borders), some cake, apples, and water, for which he was charged the moderate sum of 2--. (Joing still fuither, you come to a number of native women, some hard at work scraping potatoes, others pieparing the " CopperMaori " for cooking the same and the halfcleaned pigs which are hanging to the stakes. There is an enormous quantity of food— tons of potatoes, flour, sugar, pigs, baskets of preset ved mutton, buds, and lots of other provisions. For the accommodation of the chiefs an additional wooden house has been erected ab the end of thclnng whare, which is fully 100 fecb long itself, From all I could gather and see there must bo fully 1,000 natives of all classes on the ground. Among the visitors I was shown Hone Hekes widow, who looks well for an old Maori woman. There was some talking going on at the time I got there relative to bhe disputed laud near IJokianga, bub the proposition put forth by the speaker, "Maish Brown's eldebb son," did nob seem to lind favour with the meeting, for there seemed to be a great deal of chaff over ib, and I was told it was ultimately lo&t. Ib seems to me that the principal business that will be clone is the eating and drinking, and ib does nob give a stranger the idea of what a Maori meeting should be, for among the whole group I only noticed two old men with the regular mat dress, all being dressed European fashion, and nob like some I had .seen years ago. Even the speakers' attitudes seem different to what they used to be, as Maoris when addressing a meeting used to walk a few paces to and fro and gesticulate. Yesterday that was conspicuous by its absence. Sydney Taiwhanga does not Feem to be standing i very high in the natives' opinions. You see him flitting about from place to place among bhe natives, but it seems as if the natives had lo&b interest in the meeting in general, and him in particular. After the s.B. Te'Anau arrived yesterday, and the tender Ida went to Opua, quite a number ot visitors came from bhe steamer and landed there from the Ida, and stayed ab Waitangi till the Te Anau had completed her coaling and came to Russell to take in her cargo there ; bub I think bhe general feeling was disappointment as far as the meeting went. The'natives have notices up forbidding them i to give any dances under a penalty of £5.

A very heavy yield of wheat is reported from North Road, between Kaiapoi and Woodend, where a seven-acre paddock yielded 651 bushels, or 93 bushels an acre.